


One sketch at a time 2

by nightsisterkaris



Series: One Sketch at a Time [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Clones, Drawing, Engagement, F/M, False Pregnancy, Hydra (Marvel), Inhumans (Marvel), Mind Control, Mind Manipulation, Modern Assassins, Secrets, Sketches, We think
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-07-03 04:40:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 15,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15811566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightsisterkaris/pseuds/nightsisterkaris
Summary: After getting back from Australia, Melinda suffers the teams prying over her upcoming wedding





	1. Prologue

"Get back!" Coulson yelled at Amelia, but she deffiantly grabbed the fallen gun anyway. Charging in, she passed May through the hail of bullets, May ordering her back to. This was suposed to be an easy op, the fighting preformed by May.

Amelia copied Coulson, activating the energy shield that Fitz had installed in her robotic arm just that morning. She advanced, trying to get behind the H.Y.D.R.A. assassins. From there she could get them from behind. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that Coulson and May were still in the fight, and still annoyingly telling her to back off. "Awww! Mine's smaller!" She refered to her own energy shield, whining sarcastically, she took another shot.

May came behind her, Coulson following. They ducked behind a car parked in the warehouse, trying to plan as bullets slammed into the metal. May reached over Amelia's shield, and with her flawless acuracy, took out more assassins. "What did I tell you about staying back and not seeing any action?!?" Coulson chewed her out.

"My shield is smaller..." she changed the subject and tried to pop up for one more shot. But one thing; she was out of amo. Time for the hands on fun. 

"Shut up and fight!" May yelled at them, and shot more rounds. Aproxmently 19 H.Y.D.R.A. assasins down, 21 still advancing. May was out of amo to, and pressed a quick kiss to Coulson before, running out to judo-flip some people. Coulson dodged in the other direction, and Amelia groaned.

May dragged one assassin back behind the car. She yanked the helmet off the solider, and gasped. Amelia leaned over and echoed the gasp. The unconscious face that stared back was a reflection of her own, with a little maturity added. "She looks like me." Amelia choked out. Then she noticed the number burned into the assassin's forehead. It read,

#94


	2. I dare you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After getting back from Australia, Melinda suffers the teams prying over her upcoming wedding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place at an hour after the first book finished.

"But I don't have to." May argued, folding her arms. She and Phil had only been back from Australia a few hours, but the engagement anouncment had already taken its toll. Daisy, Yo-yo, Jemma, and Amelia were already pressing her for wedding plans. And if her answers didnt fulfill their quotas, they dreamed some crazy fantacy answer that usually included a wedding dress, cake, flowers, ribbon, and the never ending discussion of PDA. (Public displays of affection) Or "Pudah" As Amelia pronounced it.

"You're finally marrying Coulson, but you won't wear a wedding dress, or have a blowout ceremony." Daisy blankly observed, trying to make May feel guilty.

"There will be a ceremony, just not a big thing." May told them. "Vows, papers, maybe some Haig, and-"

"A kiss?" Amelia interrupted. "But maybe something a little better than what you and Coulson displayed in front of us earlier today?"

"The way I remember it, you and Daisy were the ones cheering us on." May reminded her, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, the wedding will be small."

"One other thing, what's Haig?" Amelia asked.

"A drink." Daisy answered. "It's kinda Coulson and May's thing. They had an agreement. But, you can't have any until you're twenty-one." She explained.

"So it's alcoholic. Good to know. But I'm probably never going to drink." Amelia said.

"Apple juice for you and I then." Jemma told Amelia. "I don't drink."

"Back to the wedding." Daisy interrupted. "Will there be a honeymoon?"

"That's up to Phil. But we just took three weeks off." May reminded them.

"When Turtle-Man finally gets down on one knee for me, he'd better have something good planned." Yo-yo commented.

"How did A.C. propose to you?" Daisy asked.

Melinda was quiet. This was a touchy subject. She ran the precious memory over in her head.

Australia

"Melinda Qialoan May..." Coulson got down on one knee. May's heart hammered in her chest, trying to process what was happening. She forced herself not to cry, tears threatening to pour down her face. "I've known you for thirty years, loved you for two decades. I hope you love me back, but you need to know: T.A.H.I.T.I. gave me another chance at life, at our relationship. I'm not going to pass it up. I want to spend the rest of my life at your side,-"  
"Phil, get to the point." May tried to keep control. The Australian sunset burned behind her, shining through he glass sliding doors.  
"Fine. No sappy speech, even though you know you love it." He looked up at her, the grin covering the fear of May's answer. "Melinda Qialoan May..." he repeated. "Will you marry me?" He said the words, and opened the blue velvet box.  
Upside down.  
The ring fell at May's feet, a beautiful silver and diamond light.  
Phil awkwardly scooped it up, and she took his hand. "Yes." Was all she choked out, letting the tears fall. Phil grinned like a little kid, sliding the ring on her waiting finger.  
May smiled back, Phil stood up, and wrapped her up in the best hug May had ever experienced. He kissed her, on the lips, tracing her cheek with his thumb...

"May? Sooooo... can you tell us?" Daisy asked again. "Earth to May." She said. "Earth to Melinda May."

"He dropped the ring." May answered.

Daisy, Amelia, and Jemma cracked up. "Mack better not drop mine." Yo-Yo said.

"Big expectations, do ya?" Daisy teased.

"I want it perfect." Yo-Yo confessed.

May wanted to retreat from the others, and just be alone. She was about to leave when Amelia brought up the wedding dress ideas again. "I think that you would look best in a strapless dress." Amelia idealized. "What if I drew you? And proved how good you would look?" Amelia asked May.

"Fine. Just this once. But after that, no more art." May warned.

"And if there is one that you honestly like, you will wear a wedding dress?" Amelia pushed.

"Sure." May rolled her eyes, and then realized the mistake she had made when Amelia whispered "Yes!" to her fist. May wouldn't feel sad when Amelia returned to the academy in two days.


	3. Pay the price

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team finds out that their former adversary has gotten loose.

(Melinda)

Coulson and May were eating in the Zephyr's kitchen together two days after May made her fateful wedding dress agreement, when Amelia triumphantly strutted in with an enormous stack of papers. She dropped them on the counter in front of May and announced, "Here! You would look beautiful in a wedding dress!"

May groaned, looked at the first picture, and Phil put down a forkful of food that was halfway to his mouth. "Is this the top secret project that took you two days? You hardly came out except for meals." Coulson remarked.

"Yeah. But now you have to wear a white dress." Amelia repeated to May. "I designed some, and others I copied off the internet."

May picked up the first one, and instantly wished that she could slap Amelia so hard. The drawing was of her, -all of them were- in a sleeveless, strapless, low front, long skirt dress. May knew that she looked good, but she hated it.

"Several are vintage style, which Daisy told me was trending right now, and some are more modest than others. But Daisy, Jemma, and I all thought that you would look great." Amelia rambled on. May mentally face-palmed. Why did she drag Simmons and Daisy into this?

"Daisy said to check some fashion websites. But you really don't care, do you?" Amelia finally read May's facial expression.

"Not really." May answered. Amelia just kept grinning.

"There are over thirty examples." Amelia told her. May reluctantly reached for another paper, but Coulson was already half way done, and pausing at each to try to imagine May in the dress, which was different every picture. But then May looked over to him holding one that Amelia had titled 'You "May" kiss the bride.' And it depicted Coulson and May in the middle of a very intimate kiss at the alter. "Really Amelia?" Coulson said as he and May looked up at the same time. "Was this really necessary?" He asked.

"Sorry." she shrugged. "It was fun to draw."

"Ready to go?" Daisy walked in. "The academy awaits!" 

"I'm going to go land the plane." May said, and kissed Coulson before heading off to the cockpit.

\-----------------------------------------

(Amelia)

May landed the Plane, and dropped Amelia off on the academy roof. Her instructor was there to meet her, and lead Amelia to the door. "Bye!" Amelia yelled, but the noise of the ascending was deafening. The super-sonic noise zoomed away as the zephyr left, heading for home.

\-----------------------------------------

(Coulson)  
(Next day)

Daisy came running into Coulson's office. "Celyn escaped! Celyn Nikita Escaped!"

"What?!?" Coulson looked up. May stood up from the chair near his desk, where she had been doing paperwork.

"Celyn escaped from the base! she was rescued!" Daisy handed Coulson and May the tablet, and showed them the video. The black and white footage started with Celyn standing in her cell, and an explosion erupted in the ceiling. Two soldiers jumped down, and another jumped in to hull her out. One rescuer took out a gadget, and the camera went out. Thirty seconds later, the camera feed was back. The operation took less than a minute.

"So." May started."My torturer lives."

"Apparently so." Daisy said. "The tracking chip in Nikita's neck was disabled when the explosion took place."

"We can't track her." Coulson observed.

"What did the rescuers look like?" May asked.

Daisy played with the footage for a few seconds, and had a close-up of the infiltrator. A mask covered it's face, but there was something familiar about the hoodie the warrior wore.

"And sooo... the Hoodie guards are back." May sighed. "Great."


	4. DNA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> May reads some startling new possible evidence of another HYDRA infiltrator and another possibility at a second Bahrain.

(Melinda)

"Daisy, I want you to track her location, if possible. Check all the frequency codes, and find her!" Coulson said. 

"I'm on it!" Daisy ran from the room, and May turned to Coulson. "Got any ideas?" She asked.

"One." He said, and looked her in the eye. "You and I need to take Celyn out." Coulson answered. He smiled at her, and Melinda nodded, then smirked. "You know I'm going to be the one who ends up hitting people." She reminded him.

"I know." He said, and took her hand. Melinda melted into the touch, and enjoyed it. She swung her legs a little as she sat on his desk, thinking about S.H.I.E.L.D.'S next move against H.Y.D.R.A.

Then Daisy came back. "Oh, and Simmons mentioned something about May needing a file. Number.. what was it? She said that you would know." She told Coulson.  
"TC-3452?" Coulson prompted.

"Yeah, that one." Daisy turned back again.

"Phil? What is it?" May asked when he looked concerned.

"It's all of Simmons's notes on Amelia's blood work, DNA tests, and something about her brain." He answered.

"Because she died?" May wondered. "Did she find her parents?" Melinda asked, but Phil shook his head no.

"No, and yes. Recently, Amelia has been checking in with the academy's nurse for frequent headaches, so Simmons took another blood sample." He explained. "There was a real reason Amelia survived the toxin." 

"I received the cure." May added.

"Simmons has it all in this file." Phil said, and opened a drawer to dig out a Manila folder.   
"But why did she live?" May asked, taking the file. But Phil stopped her from opening it. He pointed to the 'level 5 classified' sticker.

"Simmons found deposit traces of the 'TC-3452' toxin, as H.Y.D.R.A. calls it, in Amelia's bones. It was given to her at a young age." Coulson said.

"Well, we already knew that H.Y.D.R.A. wanted her to be on their side." May replied.

"She was a failed experiment, -or so Simmons thinks- and H.Y.D.R.A. tweaked her genes to make her a more powerful inhuman. And that's her theory." Phil answered. "Amelia is an experiment?" May inquired.

"That's what Simmons thinks." He reminded her.

"Are you going to tell her?"

"I don't know."

\------------------------------------

(Melinda)  
May retreated to her and Phil's room to read the file. She sat down on their bed, and turned up the light. May opened the file, and started reading the summary.

"Amelia Tanz, 14, survived a bullet-carried toxin poisoning that has so far been lethal to all but one other victim, Agent May, who received the only known antidote. Agent May was given a large dose of the toxin to jumpstart a reaction, then given K3-82."

"Kay three eighty two?" May wondered, then remembered the stuff that Jemma had given her after she had been given the toxin. She kept reading,

"S.H.I.E.L.D. is currently attempting to capture some TC-3452 from a H.Y.D.R.A. base or agent, but has so far been unsuccessful. While suffering from the TC-3452, Amelia's symptoms did include: 

"•6-hour death-like coma, three days after exposure.   
•Temporary blindness   
•Dizziness 

"Tanz is inhuman of her own kind, and manifested two separate powers, formerly believed to be impossible. Her DNA was unique even too inhuman standards, and when Agent Simmons studied her genes, discovered the instability and no connections to any known parent. Her scan results showed deposits of TC-3452 in her bones, at levels that were administered at a young age. Agent Simmons theory, considering Tanz's H.Y.D.R.A. background and ties, believes that Amelia was an experiment."

Wow. That was a lot to take in. May flipped through the file, glancing for any extra useful facts. She finally closed it, and headed back to Phil's office to return it. She stopped at the door, and watched her fiancé through the door. He was writing furiously, and May sighed. Being director and still going out on missions was a heavy load to bear. May just hoped that she could lighten it. She strode silently back to him, taking one of "May's spots" in the armchair beside his desk. 

"Poor girl." She commented, dropping the folder back on his desk.

"You read it?" He asked, not looking up from his work.

"Yeah." She answered. "Do you really think Amelia is an experiment?"

"Think, May. What H.Y.D.R.A. agent just hands over one of their secrets over to us? What H.Y.D.R.A. agent goes undercover as a science teacher for twenty years, just waiting for some powerful 14-year-old kid to pop up in a small town?"

"But only two weeks later I found her in the gym at four in the morning beating the punching bag, crying about former foster homes." May countered.

"Isn't it a little strange how Amelia was in the right place at the right time to save you from her 'foster mother'?" He reminded her. "And could draw your kidnaper down to the last detail -enough for a recognition scan- after two and a half weeks of not seeing him?"

"But she denounced H.Y.D.R.A." May added.

"So did Ward, and Garrett." He paused, "Its just when you think, she knew the password to a H.Y.D.R.A. base. A H.Y.D.R.A. base, plus Russian, and we didn't think anything else of it." Phil argued.

"She took a bullet." May said softly. "She's fourteen. She's to young to be an inflator. She passed the truth test." May and Coulson both smiled, remembering Amelia's funny -but correct- answers. (When asked why she was here, she answered, "because Mrs. May brought me here." And when asked what was in the box that washed up on a desert island, she answered,"my hunting knife and a box of gummi bears.")

"What are you implying?" May asked.

"That instead of losing her, H.Y.D.R.A. may have her right where they want her." He answered.

"Oh." May answered. "You're saying that she's a double agent, spy, ticking time bomb."

"I'm not accusing her. I'm just saying that we need to be ready if this possibility is real." He said. 

"I failed one little girl. I'm not shooting another." May declared.

"I'm not going to give that job to you, Mel." He told her. "I don't want anything more bad to happen to you." He reached up and touched her cheek. "I'm just really unsure about this."

"Should we take Tanz into custody?" May asked, and took his hand.

"She would be a bad enemy." Coulson said. "And right now, I need her to know that we are the good guys." He answered. "But if she is H.Y.D.R.A., then we have a lot to worry about."

"With Amelia's powers, she cannot be forcibly restrained." May remembered. "She broke me out, Phil. Sunk her hand through a bulletproof door and opened it. She knows whenever someone is coming. Amelia felt my presence past stone and metal. She is like the perfect..." May tried to think of an adequate word.

"Assassin? Specialist? Soldier? Spy?" Phil suggested.

"She could be a tool of destruction. But she is just too young." May said.

"Maybe you're right." He agreed, and smiled.

"Come on Phil. Hurry up your paperwork. If you're not in bed in an hour, I'm coming for you." She smirked. 

"Well then, looks like I better hurry." He picked up his pen again. Melinda ran her hand down his arm and left his office for their room. There, she changed into her sleepwear, and decided to call her mom.

"Hi mom." She said as her mother answered. "How are you?"

"Good, And you, Qialoian?" Her mom inquired.

"Good." May answered, and arranged her pillow. "Mom, I'm engaged."

"What?!? Some civilian?"

"No Mom. Phil."

"Phillip?" Lian asked. 

"Actually, that's why I called you. Phil and I, we, ummm... we're getting married, Mum."

"Since when?!?" 

"Since he proposed to me in Australia." May smiled to herself. 

"Hmmm..." Lian sighed her approval."Oh, how is the girl whom you and Phillip adopted?"

"Daisy? We didn't adopt her, Mom. She is part of the team." 

"Whatever you say, Qialoian." Her mom paused. "How is the job? What are you allowed to tell me?"

"Mom, you know- fine. There is a fourteen year old inhuman that is being taken care of now. She's quite powerful." May told her.

"Bah! Not that! Your boyfriend! Fiancé! Tell me about that." Lain ordered.

"Mom! He and I just went to Australia for a few weeks! Then he asked me and we came back!"

"When is the wedding?" Lian asked.

"Other thing, no wedding."

"Why?" 

"Because I don't want a big fuss!"

"My daughter is marrying on of the most powerful men in the world, and-"

"Phil isn't-" May started.

"From what you have told me-"

"Mom. Just tell me, why are you pushing? I already have to wear a dress, because I made a stupid agreement. There will be a small ceremony, nothing more."

"Okay Qialoian."

"Bye mom."

"Goodbye daughter." Her voice cut off, and the call ended. 

May put away her phone, and checked the clock. She waited for Phil, and finally, he appeared. "Hey Mel. I decided to leave the rest for tomorrow." he said, coming in. Phil got ready, and joined her. 

May turned off the light, and Phil wrapped his arms around her. Safe... whole... perfect... complete... comfortable... loved. That's how she felt.

"I love you." Phil whispered into her ear. Perfect... protected... loved.

"I love you too. Good night." Melinda replied.

"Goodnight love."

Held... assured... Loved. 

Melinda Qialoian May was loved.


	5. the risks we take

(Melinda)

May woke up to Phil whispering, "Wake up, it's almost 6:00am." He kissed her forehead. May groaned, and answered, "I wanna stay."

"Mel-" Phil kissed her on the cheek. "-Lin-" He kissed her other cheek. "-da-" he kissed her nose. "You." He kissed her temple. "Need." *kiss* "To." *kiss* "Get." *kiss* "Up."

"I know." She sighed, and opened her eyes. Melinda smiled in the dark. "Good morning." She reluctantly said.

"Good morning." He replied, getting up. May dragged herself out of bed, and put on her usual black tank top and leggings. "I'm going to the gym." She told Phil, watching him put on his suit coat.

 

"Alright. If you meet anyone, tell them that there will be a meeting in two hours." He added.

"Love you." May whispered, and opened the door.

"Love you more." Phil said, and spun her back for a kiss. "Bye." She said, breaking it.

"Coulson and Coulson-to-be!" Daisy came around the corner. "I found something important." She told them, averting her eyes sarcastically away from the second kiss.

"What?" May asked. "And just because 'Coulson' will be my surname, you still call me 'May'." Melinda added.

"I spent half the night hacking a H.Y.D.R.A. frequency feed." Daisy reported. "I woke up to something you may want to hear. I've recorded everything so far. But anyway, Nikita is on the move. She's heading to an airport to meet someone named 'number fourteen thirty six'. And pick up more toxin along the way. She mentioned a specific time and place." Daisy explained along the way.

"So, its soon?" Coulson asked, and 'fixed' hie tie. May raised an eyebrow at his sloppy Windsor knot. Phil just shrugged.

"Yes." Daisy, May, and Coulson got to Daisy's work space. The computers were decrypting the messages, and Daisy showed them a tablet.

"The meeting is in two days?!?" Coulson asked.

"Yeah. And I already have a spot for you two to get in and get out." Daisy said. "But you are going to have to say that your 'daughter' will have to get into the airport. In other words, undercover."

"I hate undercover." May replied. "You as our daughter?" She assumed.

"But it might be a lot easier if your 'daughter' was there." Daisy continued.

"And how-? No. Bad idea." Coulson said. "Amelia is not coming."

"Yeah. Not happening." May added.

"Why?" Daisy asked.

May shared a glance with Phil. No words needed. Amelia was not going to risk this mission. (If they chose to accept it)

"Ok. You two are doing that eye thing again. What do I not know?"

"Amelia may be a threat, that's all." Coulson tried to dismiss it.

"I know that she's fourteen, but she can just get you in, sell your story, and step back." Daisy said.

"You really think that she will just step back?" Coulson asked.

"I mean, she should have learned something in the Academy. And anyway, y'all will need her powers." Daisy said. "The best way to get into the toxin is by breaking the lock. Do you really think that explosions or pliers will work in a crowded airport?" Daisy asked. "And hopefully she can get you through any closed doors, walls, or baggage."

"Not if Celyn will be there." May said.

"Amelia should know if she is coming or not." Daisy countered. "With her weird psychotic 'I-know-where-you-are' thing." Daisy paused. "She might even get you two out quicker."

"Thanks Daisy." Coulson said, and told her, "go get some donuts for breakfast. Bring some back for the team."

"Really? Awesome!" Daisy shrugged, and turned to go.

"And make sure it's Krispy Kreme. Dunk'n Donuts aren't that good." Coulson called after her.

"Really? Donuts?" May asked. Phil grinned. "This is obviously a trap." May told him, looking at the decrypted messages. "It's too easy."

"Which is why we need to check it out. If H.Y.D.R.A. wants Amelia for some reason, then we need to know why." He finished. "Shall we spring the trap?"

"With ample exit plans? Sure." May said. "Lets get Amelia and have a talk."

"What about my donuts?" He sarcastically asked.

May didn't answer.

"Fine. Let's get this over with. Call the team. We have a mission to plan."


	6. the assessment

(Daisy's POV)

"I brought donuts!" Daisy jogged down the hall toward the briefing room. Opening the door with her back, the inhuman grinned as she triumphantly set the box on the holotable. 

"Good. Now that the team I here, May and I have some information and Mission briefing to go over with you." Could on said. 

"Cool." Mack opened the box, grabbing a donut and taking a big bite.

"As you all have heard, Celyn Nickita has escaped, and we need to bring her in again. But she seems to have loyal guards who are ready to break her out again." Could on told them.

"Yeah, that's kinda obvious..." Daisy said.

"But we think she might have an infiltrator or some way to access our data and predict our moves." May stepped up. "Anyone have any guesses?" She prompted.

All she got were blank looks. 

Sighing, May told them, "who was there at the right time, with the right connections and information, and the right skills to break me out?"

"Amelia." Fitz answered. Daisy pulled the donut from it's trip toward her mouth. "You think she's HYDRA?"

"We're saying its a possibility. And with our next lead on Celyn ideally bringing her along, it would be perfect timing for HYDRA to pick up their double agent." Coulson said.

"But she's 14." Elena raised an eyebrow.

Coulson shrugged. "At thirteen, May could knock out all the football jocks at her school in about a minute."

The team stared at May. "They made a bet, and i earned fifty bucks. Solid deal." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm impressed." Jemma said. "So how were you able to calculate your speed to the strength of your attacks to their velocity and-"

"Nobody cares, Jemma." Fitz whispered to her.

"Fine." Simmons said. "You guys can decide not to turn this into a learning experience."

"The point is, if we are going to outsmart HYDRA, we need to play their game, and lure them in." Coulson said. "We have what they want, and that gives us an advantage."

"We're bringing along Amelia." May summarized.

"But.. isn't that exactly why we wouldn't bring her along? Because HYDRA wants her?" Daisy asked.

"Yes, but she should be able to discipline yourself not to make any stupid mistakes and follow orders." May said. "she wanted to be a part of the Team, so she's going to have to prove it."

\-----------------------------------

(Amelia's POV)

"You guys need me again?" Amelia sarcastically sighed, jogging up the ramp of the Zephyr. She reached out a hand to touch Lola's shiny chrome, and half the team yelled, "DONT TOUCH LOLA!" Amelia jumped, and almost threw her notebook. Her eyes went big as she smiled. "So. I heard you guys have an evil foster mother to vanquish?"

"More like lock up." Mack said. 

"Cool beans." Amelia smirked. "What? It means that things are chill. Yeah know, cool."

"Amelia, you'll get a briefing on your part on this mission later." Daisy stepped up. Amelia nodded, and followed her. "So, Quake, how's Plane life been treating ya?" She asked.

"It's fine. How's your control over your powers?" Daisy asked.

"Hey! Look! That's where I died!" Amelia pointed excitedly at a medical pod. "I DIED." she grinned, laughing. "Anyway, I only melted one fork, destroyed three hand guns, and left twelve hand prints in a sparring mat. That's better then last week." 

Daisy paused. "Yes, but what about your control?" 

"I have my own bunk now, and it's radiation proofed because I tend to subconsciously release gamma rays when I have a really bad headache."

Daisy turned in shock. "you what?"

"It's better now." Amelia said. "And now I can actually chose when I want to use it." She told Daisy.

"Well, we'll talk later. Coulson wants you in for a briefing with May." Daisy said, Patting her shoulder. "You know the way to his office?" 

"Yeah. If I get lost I'll just know what direction they will be in." Amelia joked, and high-fived Daisy before starting off. She was terrified.


	7. casting the bait

(Melinda's POV)

"Woah. Okay. So I'm going in with Fitzsimmons?" Amelia asked for clarification. 

"Yes. You three will be scouting. And then the rest of us will move in and take Celyn in." Coulson said, and May was standing beside his desk. 

"And I'm bait?" Amelia waited.

"Yes, and no. You have a formidable HYDRA background. Its obvious that your memories were changed, and-"

"WHAT?!?!!!!" Amelia was going to panic.

"Calm down. I've had mine changed too, and once you adjust, it's fine." He answered. "I'm saying this with experience." Coulson said.

"But... I dont-" Amelia started. "How am I going to be bait?"

"Just stand there and don't engage. Look natural. Don't stare at one of us like Daisy did once, and give away May's position." Coulson sighed. "Its simple."

"So. Just do what I was taught in Operations. I can do that." Amelia nodded. 

"Then I have a plane to land." May said.

\---------------------------------

(Amelia's POV)

"You guys look so professional!" Amelia said, feeling Jemma tug some more of her hair into the French braid. She winced, and Jemma finished it off. "There. That should keep the hair from your eyes. We'll be right as rain." The bubbly scientist smiled.

"Thanks Mrs. Jemma." Amelia nodded, and got in line with the other agents. "You see, i took the same cloaking technology that the Zephyr uses, and condensed it down into a smaller gadget that can be stuck onto a weapon or small object using a magnet, and then it's cloaked." Fitz explained, handing them a couple dime- sized metal circles. Amelia got the last one, setting it to her knifes sheath, and strapped it to her thigh. "Sweet!" She exclaimed, watching the shape of her knife become only a shimmering Mirage against her leg. The same happened to the other agents weapons.

"Mrs. May, you remind me of a secretary." Amelia remarked at May's jeans, fancy lace top, brown boots, and brief case. 

Coulson glared at her. "Alright guys. We went over this. Ready?" 

"Sure." Jemma shrugged, smiling as she stepped beside Fitz and Amelia. 

"Alright. We have a fake flight to catch." Coulson nodded, and the team plus Amelia loaded into a van. 

\-----------------------

(Melinda's POV)

"This is a bad idea." May said. She got shotgun while Coulson drove.

"Well, we've sprung traps before." He said, squinting at the road.

"Yes, but we didn't have a minor who is in potential danger and could easily put SHIELD back on the wanted list." May reminded him.

"Well, we've sent her into a warzone before, and there is probably less risk this time." Phil told her. "And we'll be fine."

"I sure hope so."

\---------------------------

(Amelia's POV)

"Hey, Mrs. Jemma, Celyn is over there." Amelia elbowed Jemma. "And people are with her."

"Just be back in a few minutes." Simmons smiled. She got the message.

Amelia melted into the crowd, and darted over to an Employees only door. Setting her hand to the door, she willed it to open with her powers, and slipped inside. Pulling the com from her braid, Amelia activated it, and set it into her ear. "Mr. Coulson. Celyn's at wing A3, terminal 18." She said into it.

"Good job." Blasted over the com, almost knocking Amelia over. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" She tried not to squeal. "What's wrong?" Daisys voice was REALLY LOUD. 

"Sorry! The decibel levels are different in comms then on my a earbuds." Amelia explained. 

Something that sounded a lot like May sighing came over the com. Amelia fixed it, and nodded. "Anyway, we got a visual of Celyn, and Mr. Fitz and Mrs. Simmons-"

"Just call them Fitzsimmons!" Mack interrupted. 

"Fine. Fitzsimmons is scanning for the TC-3452 right now, along with weapons." Amelia rolled her eyes. "Toxin time." She, waiting to sit it out. "Huh... that sounds like a band name. Toxin Time. Oh! How about the toxin team?" Amelia rammbled into the coms. 

"Shut up, 'lea." Daisy said, and you could practically haer the eye roll. "Be quiet, because nobody cares about that right now."

"Fine." Amelia shut her mouth. She knew everyone was just stressed. 

Amelia was waiting right behind some kind of thin wall panel, and could hear and see the civilians in the airport through the cracks.

Sitting back, she didn't hear the steps behind her before someone clamped their hand over her mouth. "HHHUMPH!" she screamed into it, twisting.

"Shut it, number fourteen-zero-one." A woman's voice hissed.

Amelia was freaking out for about a second before coming sense took over. Reaching for her thigh, Amelia drew her knife, twirled it around in her hand, and drove it into her attackers leg. 

The person stumbled, and Amelia was able to get to her feet. "Help!" She spoke into her com.

"What's happening?" "What's going on?" "Did Celyn get away?" Resounded through her ear. 

"Can I get some help?" She squeaked. 

"Coming. Stay put." May grumbled. 

Kinda hard, Amelia thought, dodging her attacker's blows. Amelia deflected what she could, but the woman was good. Amelia was pinned down in about a minute, and was disarmed. 

The woman must have grinned under the mask as she straddled Amelia, and held the knife over her chest, one hand at the girls throat. "You disappointed us, fourteen-zero-one. You will pay." She growled, and Amelia struggled against the woman's strong grip, trying to hold back the knife. 

But the woman was stronger. The knife poked through Amelia's shirt, but she knew something that this lady didn't. 

The knife never pierced Amelia's skin. It simply folded together, melting into dull lump. Amelia loved her inhuman power.

Opening her fist, Amelia released a wave of radiation strait at the woman. She would suffer from it later. 

But it was draining, and was a strain. Suddenly, a clean ICER shot hissed down the corridor. The attacker froze, and went rigid for a second before falling limply to the ground.

"Finally." Amelia muttered.

"A simple 'thank you're would be welcome." Melinda had her ICER drawn.

Agent May stood over Amelia, and raised an eyebrow, blowing the hair from her face. "Maybe don't call so much attention to yourself?" She suggested, moving the body away from direct view.

"Thanks." Amelia nodded, and scooped up her mutilated dagger. "So much for Ippikó." She sighed.

"Ippikó?" May asked, and Amelia followed her down the hall

"Dagger's name." The girl explained.

May and Amelia heard the message at the same time. "Quick! Celyn's escaping again!" Fitzsimmons voice freaked.

"Shed heading to the airplane warehouse!" Coulson reported. "Meet me there May!"

"Got it." May said. Turning to Amelia, she said, "get out of harm's way."

\--------------------

(Coulson)

"One Hoodie guard attacked 'Lea, and there are others will Celyn." Daisy reported. 

"Alright, rendezvous point is now the warehouse. Close her off!" Coulson ordered.

"Mr. Coulson!" Amelia jogged up to him. "Awesome! I'm not to late, am I?"

"What are you doing here?!?!?" Coulson wanted to smack her.

"Well, you called rendezvous, so I'm here!" She grinned. "Gotta gun? Ippikó was brutally murdered."

"Who?" He pulled one out. Why was he giving this girl a gun? She just disobeyed orders!

"Ippikó, my knife." Amelia rolled her eyes. "Thanks." She said.

"I thought you were with May!" Could on said.

"I thought you were." She shrugged. "May's a big girl. She can take care of herself."

This girl was exausting. "I know." He sighed.

As if on cue, a short, Asian woman ran around the corner, and smiled. "Hey. Let's go kick their a-"

"Language please. Underage viewers here." Amelia interrupted.

"Good to see ya, Mel." Coulson said.

"Phil." May regarded him.

And that was the moment Amelia drew her gun and shot May twice. 

Melinda screamed, and fell to the ground. Time slowed down for Coulson, and he looked up at Amelia. "You." He growled, drawing his gun. "Will not pay lightly for this!" He pointed it at her. Amelia wisly put her hands up, and drove the gun. 

"That's not May." Amelia confidently protested. 

Coulson sank to his knees, still pointing his gun at Amelia, and craddled Melinda. His love. 

"Melinda." He whispered. 

"Phil... I..." 

"No, no, shhhh." He said.

"I'm telling you. That's NOT May." Amelia warned.

"Please, Phil." May gasped, and something about her flickered.

Phil looked down in part amazement and part horror as the woman began to change. He clothes shimmered like a mirage, and changed from jeans, lace top, and boots, to a black and green jumpsuit. Her skin changed from Melinda's beautiful tan to an ivory white. Her hair flowed into ginger, ad May's lovely brown eyes melted into green. Her facial structure molded to, but the process was cut short by the girls last breath. 

"What the h-"

"Please. Underage viewers here." Amelia sighed. "I TOLD you that wasn't May."

"You could have killed her!" Coulson dropped the girl in his lap in disgust, and turned to Amelia. "You almost gave me a heart attack!!"

"Sorry. Thought I would just use the element of surprise while I had it." Amelia shrugged. "If you'd like, I'll tell May you didn't recognize it wasn't her."

"That would not be funny. At all." Coulson told her.

"Deal." Amelia nodded. 

"How did-"

"I know it wasn't May?" Amelia guessed. "Well, she felt off, odd. Her spirit or life force wasn't the right color or feel, I guess."

"You shot May off of a guess?!?!" Could on looked at her.

"Call it intuition." Amelia compromised.

"Fine. But don't just shoot anyone just because they don't 'feel' right" Coulson ordered. "Now let's go meet up with my team and get May."


	8. as if to burn water

(May's POV)

Melinda ran to the airport hanger, and dodged back behind a crate. Celyn was standing tall, "hoodie guards" around her. One of the guards flipped off the hood, and Melinda barely saw her face. Ginger hair, and a mature face. 

Melinda knew she didn't have enough ammo in her ICER to take them all out. She waited for Phil, Mack, and Daisy.

Phil came jogging around the corner, followed by Amelia. Ugh why was this girl always getting into things?

Phil nodded to her, and they both understood to wait. Amelia took a breath to speak. Phil motioned for her to zip it. She did.

"You got the thirty-four-fiftysix, 14-36?" Nikita asked.

"Yes ma'am." The girl answered, lifting a briefcase sized box. Melinda narrowed her eyes. That's it.

May nodded quickly to Phil before they both popped up over the crowd and aimed their ICERs at the guards. Melinda noticed Phil flinch when he saw them. 

They fired at the guards, and took several out before the others responded.

Phil and Melinda ran to a car not to far away where they would have better protection from bullets from the guns that the guards had drawn. One girl thrust out a hand and created a force-field around the front of her fellow identical guards.

Amelia noticed this, and ran around back behind the guard, shooting her with the ICER. The girl fell, the force-field disintegrating without her concentration. The girls gun clattered to the floor.

Phils energy shield sprang to life.

\---------------------------------------

(Amelia's POV)

"Get back!" Coulson yelled at Amelia, but she defiantly grabbed the fallen gun anyway. Charging in, she passed May through the hail of bullets, May ordering her back to. 

Amelia copied Coulson, activating the energy shield that Fitz had installed in her robotic arm just that morning. She advanced, trying to get behind the H.Y.D.R.A. assassins. From there she could get them from behind. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that Coulson and May were still in the fight, and still annoyingly telling her to back off. "Awww! Mine's smaller!" She referred to her own energy shield, whining sarcastically, she took another shot.

May came behind her, Coulson following. They ducked behind a car parked in the warehouse, trying to plan as bullets slammed into the metal. May reached over Amelia's shield, and with her flawless accuracy, took out more assassins. "What did I tell you about staying back and not seeing any action?!?" Coulson chewed her out.

"My shield is smaller..." she changed the subject and tried to pop up for one more shot. But one thing; she was out of ammo. Time for the hands on fun. 

"Shut up and fight!" May yelled at them, and shot more rounds. Approximately 19 H.Y.D.R.A. assassins down, 21 still advancing. May was out of ammo to, and pressed a quick kiss to Coulson before, running out to judo-flip some people. Coulson dodged in the other direction, and Amelia groaned.

May dragged one assassin back behind the car. She yanked the helmet off the solider, and gasped. Amelia leaned over and echoed the gasp. The unconscious face that stared back was a reflection of her own, with a little maturity added. "She looks like me." Amelia choked out. Then she noticed the number burned into the assassin's forehead. It read, #94.

Amelia and May didn't have much time to freak out over guards face before Nikita snatched the box and took off. "Get her." Melinda told Phil. He went.

About five more guards still stood. 

May ran to one after telling Amelia to stay put.

Melinda didn't expect the powers. They were inhuman.

All of them.

One snapped her fingers, and a flame appeared in her hand, and water condensed into the other, forming a watery orb. It was the same one who delivered the toxin. 14-36.

Another disappeared completely. Invisibility. Great.

One girl turned yellow, and glowed as she formed crackling energy balls in her hand. 

The other two didn't do anything. Their powers were a mystery.

Melinda turned quickly, kicking the pyro/hydrokinetic in the back. The energy ball girl threw a bright orb at May, who dodged it. Amelia glanced at her shield. How to help... How to help...

May got hit with a ball of energy. She grunted as it has her, burning her shirt and sending shocks over her body.

That's it. Amelia thought.

Running out of her spot, Amelia engaged one of the girls who hadn't displayed any power. She punched the girl, and stepped on her calf, making the guard kneel. But the female girl looked up and bared her teeth. Uh-oh. 

Amelia was momentarily shocked as she stared at the woman's snake-like fangs, green and sharp looking. The teeth extended out to bite her. Amelia backed up quick.

\------------------------

(May's POV)

May was choking by some invisible force. May elbowed behind her. A solid crack meant that May had broke an invisible bone. May used the surprise to wiggle from it's grasp and take it down. A girl flashed into sight and stayed that way, blood dripping from her mouth. She grows getting up. May hit her soundly in the face. She fell over, unconscious.

"Well if it isn't the cavalry." One purred.

"We get to kill the cavalry!" The energy ball girl grinned with a poisonous gleam in her eyes.

May froze. Not that name. Not that flashback.

Amelia whooped as she ran at one, jumping up and kicking the energy ball guard, who stumbled. Amelia grabbed the woman's hand, and squeezed. The woman screamed. May preferred not to see how that turned out. 

Then Amelia pressed the misshapen hand to the woman's chest. It wasn't moving again.

May glared at the two who hadn't shown off.

One growled, and long, twin teeth emerged through ones lips, thin and sharp. Like a snake.

May guessed they might be venous. The fang woman ran at may, her jaw unhinged unnaturally low, her fangs ready to slash at Melinda. May studied the charging woman's footfalls, and dodged at the last second, tripping her and grabbing one of the fangs. It snapped. A foot-long bone that was green at the end. Melinda wondered if the woman was affected by her own poison.

The fang woman jumped up, a bleeding gap in her teeth. She wasn't happy. Opening her mouth again, she lunged at May.

Melinda stabbed her with her own fang. 

It worked immediately. May kept her weapon.

Engaging the other, May didn't give the other woman enough time to display her ability, the fang entering her heart before she could react.

Two more.

The energy girl, and the pyro/hydrokinetic. 

The energy girl showed her other power. The light around then darkened, seeming to soak directly into the woman. She had trouble with her hand that was melted to her chest, but managed to make an arrow of light. Aiming it at May, she was knocked aside by Amelia's kick to her spine.

The arrow flew as fast as light, tearing through May's arm. It was like a searing hot bullet wound.

Amelia was soon hit aside. Summoning an energy ball, the woman ran at Melinda.

May tried to dodge, and fought against her, faster and faster as the two tried to kill the other. She was good for only one hand. Finally May got a winning strike with her weapon, the fang ripping through the guards chest, severing a couple fingers and releasing the melted hand.

The fang scraped the breast bone. May kicked her back.

She fell back, defeated. 

May breathed hard, preparing to engage the other pyro/hydrokinetic.

14-36 was leaning against the car that May, Phil and Amelia had been hiding behind earlier.

"Interesting. You've defeated my assassins." 14-36 sighed.

"And you're about to join them." May growled.

"I'd rather not make promises you can't keep, should you?" 14-36 smiled lightly in amusement.

"That would be a sad quote to have on your gravestone." May responded.

"I wouldn't be so sure." 14-36 stalked over to her dead comrade, and yanked the other fang from her skull. Using her hydrokinetic powers, she drew the venom from inside it and swirled to in the air. She then began calmly cleaning her nails with the razor-sharp tip.

"You're stalling." May observed.

"It's so interesting how you can't have life without water." 14-36 said, and water condensed from the air, swirling as it elongated into the shape of a snake, slithering around 14-36. The poison joined it, the green liquid mixing in. 

"And yet..." 14-36 continued, "we never have survived in fire." She sparked a small flame in the other hand, and lighting the snake. The venomous water burned.

May watched the snap slither through the air toward her, and she knew she couldn't dodge it. Running at the woman, May raised her weapon.

"Not so fast, cavalry." 14-36 purred, and raised her own stolen fang, and her fire hand heated it up. The tip glowed, but didn't burn. It would be incredibly painful if she was stabbed or cut. May knew.

And she had the levitating-burning-poison-water snake of death to worry about.

\-----------------------------

(Amelia's POV)

Amelia got to her feet. She struggled towards 14-36.

The assassin disarmed May of the long tooth-thingy. May lifted a wrench from a work cart nearby, and threw the heavy metal tool.

Was began to condense around May's face, 14-36 obviously hoping to drown her. Amelia saw that May was holding her breath.

The wrench smacked with a sickening dull this against 14-36's chest.

The assassin fell over. Her heart had been stopped.

As soon as May knew that she was dead, May immediately crumpled to the ground to her knees, exhausted.

Amelia stumbled over, her energy shield retracting, and sat down beside Melinda, who was breathing hard. "You okay?" Amelia asked.

May didn't answer. 

Amelia reached over to May's arm, touching it, closing the wound from the weird arrow thing. May didn't move, staying kneeling on the ground, catching her breath. She only looked up when the sound of footsteps came from the entrance.

"May!" An absolutely terrified Phil can around the corner, Mack and Daisy in tow.

"Oh Mel." Phil jogged over, and kneeled down next to his fiancé. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine." May sighed before forcibly herself to stand.

"What happened?!?" Daisy asked.

"Mrs. May took down all of the assassins." Amelia answered.

"Assassins?" Mack asked for clarification.

"Those guards aren't guards. They're HYRDA assassins. And they're inhuman."

"Two powers. They had two powers." May added.

The agents turned to Amelia, who shrugged.

"And they looked like her too." May said, pointing to the still unconscious #94. Daisy ran over, and checked it with alarm. "Holy shi-" Daisy breathed. "Uh, Coulson? We need to check this out. And take in Amelia, too." 

"Huh?" Amelia looked up from her place sitting on the floor.

"It's just a precaution, but we need to take you in. E dont know what we're dealing with." Mack explained, and pulled out some kind of old high-tech handcuffs. Amelia's eyes went wide.

"You don't need those. I'll go willingly!" She protested. Mack reached down and slapped them on her waiting wrists.


	9. Ippikó

(Amelia's POV)

A torrential downpour greeted the agents as they marched outside and toward the SUVs. Amelia sulked as she was escorted by Mack into the rain, which soaked into her clothes and drenched her hair. Raindrops ran over her cuts and the bruises forming on her skin, cooling them. 

Ahead of her, Melinda limped along side Coulson, one hand lingered on her arm. Melinda's half burned shirt exposed her bra, the scorched fabric not giving much protection from the cold. Coulson took off his jacket, and draped it across her shoulders. Amelia watched as Coulson put an arm around May and activated his energy shield to protect her from the pounding rain, which splashed and crackled on the surface of the shield.

After trudging halfway across the airport parking lot in the rain, they finally reached the Vans. Amelia could sense an unconscious Assassin in the trunk, and Mack opened the back, confirming the inhuman's power as he dumped two of the assassins in the trunk on top of their boss. "Coulson already secured the toxin. Simmons, Yo-Yo, and Fitz took it back to base." Mack told Daisy. 

Amelia was shoved into the back seat, grumbling that she could just melt the wrist cuffs if she really wanted to. "But you won't, because you respect us." Coulson warned her. 

Melinda sank into the passenger seat with exhaustion, and relaxed as Coulson drove back to base. 

\-------------------

(Jemma's POV)

As Mack set the three identical women on the table in the inhuman containing room for Simmons to examine, Jemma saw a very angry looking Amelia being marched into a cubicle of her own. 

Focusing on the HYDRA assassin before her, Jemma was amazed by their resemblance to Amelia. What in the world?

The woman had the same features, ginger hair, and slim, unmuscular frame, and greenish brown eyes. Her hair was chopped strangely, with two stripes shaved short on the left side of her head. On her forehead, #64 was burned into her skin, long scarred over, but still prominent. 

Jemma observed the pulse of the assassin, and left it on the table, strapped down. Then she went to the second assassin. Taking a DNA sample, she noticed that this one had another number branded next to her hairline. #58.

And the third assassin was the same except for her own number. 

Jemma took her DNA samples, and ran them through a machine. They were all identical. Squinting at the results, Jemma tried something else. Running the DNA code through the SHIELD database, she found a match. 

SHIELD Academy prodigy Amelia Tanz. 

\----------------------

(Melinda's POV)

Coulson was quick to lead her away from the crowd at the base, and treat her wounds in private. He winced at the sight of her arm, but was gentle as he wrapped the bandage around it. Hissing as she got up, Melinda stalked over to their bed and crawled in. The rush of adrenaline was gone, leaving her absolutely tired. 

Coulson came and kissed her temple before turning out the lights so that she could sleep. He left, closet the door behind him.

But her sleep wasn't dreamless. Oh no, those dreams were vivid. She saw herself in Bahrain again, and she fought enemy after enemy that was defeated long ago. Knives flashed and guns fired, staining her sight in red. Melinda woke up frustrated. The nightmares were back.

\-------------------------

(Amelia's POV)

Sitting alone in the cubicle, Amelia waited for something to happen. Finally she called for Jemma. 

"So I've been thinking... I don't know why I called my dagger "Ippikó."." Amelia told the scientist, who pulled out her phone. 

"Do you think it means something?" Jemma asked through the glass. The girl nodded. 

Typing the name into Google translate, Jemma chose the result to translate from Greek. 

"What's it mean?" Amelia prompted her. 

Jemma read the result with shock. "It translates into 'Cavalry' in Greek."


	10. mysterious discoveries

(Jemma's POV)

"May." Jemma whispered, staring at the translation. "The Cavalry."

"Why is my knife named after May's nickname?" Amelia asked, pressing her face to the other side of the glass.

"I don't know." Simmons responded, And frowned. "I'm gonna go run this by Coulson." 

-:x:-

"Sir, you don't understand," Jemma repeated. "Her knife's name is a direct translation into 'Cavalry'."

"Thats impossible." Coulson responded, folding his arms. "You expect me to believe that?"

"There is no way that this is simply a coincidence." Jemma argued. "The Greek word, 'Ippikó' means cavalry."

"Why would H.Y.D.R.A. implant memories of a knife with a name? Why even name a knife?"

Jemma looked at him pointedly. "You named your car Lola, a destroyer gun 'Bambino', and that captain America shot glass 'Capsie'."

"I was drunk." Coulson defended himself. "And theres nothing wrong with a shot glass named Capsie."

Then a load knock on the office door sounded. "Doctor Simmons! Doctor Simmons!!!" An agent hollered.

"Whats wrong?" Jemma threw open the door.

"Its the captive H.Y.D.R.A. clones." He breathed, out of breath. "They al jolted at the same time and died." He reported. Jemma turned to quickly follow him.

"What else?" Coulson frowned, running to catch up with them.

"It's Amelia." The young man said. "We don't know whats happening. She's just screaming." 

"What is going on?" Jemma asked intently.

"We don't know, but we evacuated the lab because she's gone nuclear." the scientist reported.

"Nuclear?" Coulson demanded an explanation.

"the young girl is emitting thousands of gamma rays, and the containment cubicle can't contain it. Radioactive rays are just leaking through like water through sand."

-:x:-

 

(Amelia's POV)

What the heck was happening?!?!?!?!? 

She couldn't even think strait, much less form a complete thought. 

Pain soared throughout her head, like her brain was swelling two times its size every second. She screamed, standing as her hands went to her temples.

Trying to hold back her powers, Amelia's body betrayed her, letting lose more gamma rays than she thought possible.

This was worse than her usual headache, which had become more frequent in the last two months.

But she needed the pain to stop.

NOW.

It was killing her, the flashes red hot as they tore through her skull, making the girl delirious. Falling to her knees, Amelia squeezed her head again and let out another scream.

-:x:-

 

(Jemma's POV)

"Quick, put these on!" Jemma referenced to some metal aprons meant for radioactive shielding. Coulson and the scientist obeyed, Fitz running up and grabbing his own. "What is going on?" Fitz demanded.

"We don't know!" Jemma responded, and lead the four of them into the deserted lab. Amelia's screams filtered through the containment module, bouncing off the walls of the lab. "Did you sedate her?!" Jemma asked the scientist.

"No! We were afraid that-" He was cut off by Jemma running to the cubicle and typing something in the computer pad. Foggy mist began filling the module, and Amelia sent them a terrified glance before her eyes rolled back in her head, and she fell to the floor. 

"The radioactivity stopped!" Someone told her. Good.

Jemma counted to twenty before she flushed out the sedative with new air, and opened the door to an awful sight. Amelia thrashed as if in a seizure, but her unconscious state made the movement all the more dangerous. 

"What the hell is wrong with her?" Coulson asked, and Jemma rolled Amelia over. "Flash light!" Jemma ordered. Fitz turned on the light on his phone, handing it to her. Pulling Amelia's eyelids up, Jemma flashed the light. "Her pupils are dilated way to much." Jemma reported, one hand on the spasming girl. "She needs a brain scan!"

"But we don't have-" Coulson stopped. "Oh. That brain scanner."

-:x:-

Fifteen minutes later, the three people helped Jemma strap Amelia down and warm up the scanner. 

"Alright. Back up." Jemma told them starting the machine.

"Something's not right." Fitz warned, checking the live readings. 

Amelia stilled, and she stopped jerking. 

"What the..." Coulson leaned over between the genius couple.

A map of Amelia's brain was on the screen, visible to the agents. The girl's body was fine, but her brain...

A little computer chip was placed at the base of her Cerebellum, right near the brain stem. But the most shocking part of all were the wires, which occasionally flickered with a small electric charge.

Little filaments of metal spiderwebbed their way throughout Amelia's brain, a large percentage grouping in her frontal lobe, and many streaking their way down her spine.

"What is that?" The other agent asked.

"Go, you are dismissed, and you never saw this." Coulson orders.

"Yes sir." He answers, and leaves.

Jemma just stares at the screen, slack-jawed.

-:x:-

 

(Coulson's POV)

"What is that?!?!?" Phil asked the two younger agents.

"Impossible." Fitz breathed.

"This isn't biologically possible." Jemma said.

"Well what is it?!?!?" Phil begged for an answer. Jemma recovered first. "You know how the brain works, correct?" She asked, and Phil nodded.

"Well, the brain cells pass along little electrical charges to create thought, memory, decisions, and subconscious commands such as telling your heart to beat, your lungs to breath, your stomach to digest your food." Jemma started. "Your muscles are controlled by these charges, which travel down nerves at light speed to the assigned muscle." 

And because thought, memory, choice and such are actually just charges traveling between neurons, theoretically, I repeat, theoretically, just by simply placing a charge in a certain, extremely specific cell, you could control someone's movements, memories, choices, or ... or even their thoughts." Jemma said.

"Its mind control." Phil summarized.

"Basically," Fitz said. "but its scientifically impossible. Brains all develop differently. there is no possible way to be able to hardwire someones brain. The tiniest malfunction could cause a seizure, mutation, severe brain damage, and best case scenario, death." Fitz solemnly said.

"But there is no way to shrink such complex tech into such a small chip." Jemma added.

"Until now." Phil finished.

"What we're trying to day is, HYDRA might have found a way to program humans and inhumans." Jemma sighed, taking a breath. "If we follow this idea all the way down the road, it gets horrific." She faltered. "But then we begin dabbling in literal mind control."

"So... This may not even be Amelia." Fitz said.

"Her entire personality and character may just be faked. Controlling someone's rationalization could end with such power that I don't even want to comprehend it." Fitz said. "When does she stop being human and is just another, higher, more advanced version of an LMD? when does she stop being human?"

There was silence.

"There might be some tough, defining choices in the future for you, director Coulson." Jemma whispered.

Phil looked down at the unconscious girl. She could be mind controlled. 

There was a possibility that she wasn't even real, but nothing more than just a computer program in a living body.

What had HYDRA created?

A killer?

An assassin?

Someone meant to deceive them all?


	11. Surprise, Surprise

(Coulson's POV)

"Can we get it out?" Phil asked.

"We don't know." Jemma answered, pulling out a hard-drive and downloading the information, then moving to the holo-table. Simmons plugged in the drive, a 3D hologram of Amelia's brain springing up.

"These wires..." Jemma squinted, and enlarged the hologram. "They're congregating in her Frontal lobe."

"Which is where your memories, personality, decisions, emotions and much more is controlled." Fitz added.

Jemma zoomed in on the microchip. "The problem is, I'll have to work on the other clones to see what their chips are like to see about a solution for Amelia." Jemma said.

"What is this, the Star Wars clones and order 66 all over again?" Phil asked. 

"Maybe." Jemma said. "I'll start working immediately." Jemma looked up at him. "Especially with her dagger being named Ippikó, and her not knowing why."

"Ippikó?" Fitz frowned.

"It's greek for 'cavalry'." Jemma told him.

The scientist set to work, and then Fitz asked, "Do we have the dagger?"

"Why?" Phil asked.

"Yes." Jemma nodded. She went to the lab after putting on her radioactive-proof jacket. Returning several seconds later, Jemma was holding the hunting knife with gloved hands.

"Scan it." Fitz bit his lip, taking it by the handle, the blade brutally mutilated by Amelia's powers. He set it down on the holo-table, and Fitz furiously typed on a keypad. The hologram of Amelia's brain was joined by one of her knife, revealing a complex device hidden in the hilt. "Give me a sec..." Fitz pressed 'enter' to whatever he had just coded.

Suddenly, the dagger hologram's hilt glowed alarm red. "TC-3452 detected. It is recommended to commence with biohazard disposal protocols." The robotic voice said.

"Well." Coulson exhaled. "Looks like you were right, Simmons."

-:x:-

(An hour later)

After spreading the message that the lab was not going to be safe for a week or more until Amelia's radiation wore off, Phil went to check on Melinda, and update her on the latest discoveries. This had been one hell of a day.

Knocking on the door, Phil quietly slipped in. "Hey Mel." He whispered, seeing her sitting up in bed on her laptop. 

"I'm looking into Dr. Whitehall's detainment and all records of him." Melinda told him, not looking up. "I'm wondering if Amelia and the clones are a branch of his experiments." 

"That sounds like a good lead." Phil told her, coming to sit next to her. "Melinda, something happened while you were napping."

"What?" May looked up, closing down her computer and turning towards him.

"Amelia started screaming randomly and saturated the lab with Gamma rays, - which is now off limits for the week, by the way. But the unconscious clones that we brought back all died at once." Phil said. Melinda scrunched her eyebrows with worry.

"What was it?" May asked him.

"We think that they all were mind controlled." Phil paused. "They had micro-chips in their brains with these wires that Fitzsimmons think are meant to help control the clones..."

"And Amelia." May finished, and reached up to touch his face. "There's more." She searched his eyes.

"You won't like it." Phil sighed, looking away momentarily before locking eyes with her. "Tell me." May said.

"Amelia's knife... Remember how it was named 'Ippikó'?" Phil inquired, and May nodded. "Well, the word Ippikó' means 'Cavalry' in Greek."

"What?" Melinda frowned. "Why greek?"

"We don't know." Phil answered. "But we found a fairly large dose of TC-3452 in a vile hidden in the hilt. Fitzsimmons are trying to get it out."

May sighed. "The game against HYDRA just doesn't want to end, does it?" she smirked. "I'm just worried about her knife being named 'Cavalry' in greek. It doesn't make sense."

"I know."


	12. A.M.E.L.I.A.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *(WARNING: Dissection and Graphic descriptions of surgery that I did minimal research on, so mistakes are mine, 'cause I was making assumptions on how a surgery like this would proceed, lol.)* 
> 
> -nightsisterkaris
> 
> \--------- -:x:- ---------

(Jemma's POV)

Moving to the first HYDRA clone, Jemma Simmons exhaled as she raised the scalpel. Fitz cowered in the corner, not ready for his part in the procedure, still squeemish around blood.

Jemma pressed the scalpel to the back of the Assassin's neck, making an incision right above the spine. Setting the retractors to hold apart the skin, Jemma made another cut, not severing the neck ligaments, and bypassing the longus capitis muscle.

Setting in another couple pairs of retractors, Jemma watched the scans as she carefully pushed her instrument into the spine through the C-1 vertebrae, and slowly along the spinal cord. The biochemist squinted as she sent the tube beside the Medulla Oblongata, and through the hole in the skull where the brain connected to the spinal cord.

Washing away blood with a little saline, Jemma breathed a sigh of relief. "Fitz! It's your turn." She stepped back, and the engineer, stared at the scanner. "I think it's best to just yank it out." Fits sighed, and nodded to Jemma.

Simmons pursed her lips as she threaded forceps through the tube that was already in place, and watched the live scanning feed as she free-handedly grasped the chip with the forceps's tiny prongs.

Tugging, Jemma frowned. Oh no.

"The chip has been in there so long that the brain had grown around it, even connected itself to the chip." Jemma told Leo.

"Don't forget that she's dead, Jemma." Fitz reminded her, "and you've got two others two work with." 

Sighing, Jemma clenched her teeth as she yanked. An awful tearing sound could be heard as the scientist tugged. "Oh my Goodness!" Jemma flinched as she pulled out the chip. Clumps of brain stuck all over it, and Fitz tried not to puke. Pulling, Jemma tried not to wince as the whole brain on the scanner was pulled as well, and the wires slowly broke free, the thin filaments making their way out as Jemma pulled backwards, the wires so long that she had to take a step back to get it all out.

Neural-pathways clung to the wires, blood coating the chip. "This is horrendous!" Jemma gasped, piling the micro chip and setting the wires straight on a pan. "Almost two feet at the longest." She reported, "And who knows how much is left behind inside."

"You're taking the surgery recording to Coulson." Fitz said, his back to the action. "I can't handle seeing that again."

-:x:-

After cleaning off the microchip, Jemma handed off the chip and wires to Fitz, but she was keeping some of the samples to herself to study under a microscope later.

Knocking on Coulson's office, Jemma waited for an answer. There was none, so Simmons pushed the door open. The office was empty.

Sighing, Jemma realized that he was probably checking in on May's wounds from the airport earlier that day. Walking down toward the living wing. Knocking on their room, Jemma waited before Coulson opened the door.

"Technically, sir, you are still in working hours." Jemma smirked.

"I'm the director." Coulson replied, and opened the door to her. May was criss-cross on the bed, her arm in bandages and the bruises and cuts - that Jemma could see - where either covered with Captain America bandaids (Obviously from Coulson) or with liquid stitches. 

"I removed most of the Microchip from #94." Jemma reported. "The wires were the harder part, and there is no way that I can run any type of testing on the brain because off the damage that was caused by removing it, sir." 

"Written report on my desk A-S-A-P." Phil nodded. 

"I have the recording here." Jemma held up a hard-drive. "I have another copy in the holotable."

"Thank you, Jemma." May nodded. "Any updates on Amelia?"

"No." Jemma answered. "But I'm keeping her strapped to the brain scanner for now and sedated."

"What can we do About Amelia's?" Phil asked.

"Fitz and I aren't sure." Jemma said. "Fitz thinks that a EMP would be best to simply shut it down, but I'm worried about how dependent on the chip her brain is." Jemma said. "Best case scenario, it doesn't affect her to much." Jemma told them. "Worst case scenario, She suffers severe brain injury and either dies or goes brain dead."

The room went quiet. May kept typing at her computer, than turned to Coulson. "Hey, Phil." She addressed him, setting her SHIELD issue laptop on the sheets. "Can you put the Director's code in this?"

"What is it?" Phil leaned over, seeing a completely redacted file.

"It's Peggy Carter's personal files." May answered, and waved over Jemma, who walked over.

"How do you have access to that?!?!" Phil's mouth dropped open. "I wasn't given the code!"

"She was my S.O." May answered. "I've known about these for over thirty years." May explained. "But I've been following that lead that I told you about, and I found this, but It needs the director's code for entry."

Phil lifted the laptop, turning it away from the two women as he typed in some incredibly long code.

He handed it back, the screen glowing green as the redacted lines disappeared. the three of them gasped as they saw the title.

' Project: A.M.E.L.I.A.

Default name: Project Interwave

H.Y.D.R.A. experimentation lead by Dr. Whitehall was discovered by Agent Margaret Carter, and detained immediately, all evidence destroyed. The project name is an acronym for; 

A- Artificially 

M- Manned

E- Engineered

L- Living

I- Inhuman 

A- Assassin '


	13. make your move

(May's POV)

"Amelia..." Melinda breathed. "Her name is an acronym."

"Artificially Manned Engineered Living Inhuman Assassin." Jemma gasped. "What-? How..."

"They did this to a kid." May added. "HYDRA actually is mind controlling a kid."

"It's a set-up." Phil said. "Something is going to happen. HYDRA actually sent us one of their test subjects."

"don't call her that." Jemma frowned.

"Fine. Amelia was sent to us." Phil corrected himself. "HYDRA is revealing one of their most daring projects ever to us."

"And with us in Amelia's debt for rescuing me, which now we know is most likely a set-up..."Melinda added, her mental gears working. "Wait... than why does she draw?"

"It may be a side affect of the microchip." Jemma theorized. "Not unlike Director Coulson when he was carving the alien maps. Amelia is probably just trying to cope -subconsciously- with having controlled memories." Jemma idealized. "So she draws the memories to keep them physically safe. She probably has a weird assortment of empty time gaps in her life where she literally cannot access the memories and remember anything."

The room was quiet. "This is insane." Coulson said. "HYDRA actually cloned, and now mind controls, double-powered inhumans." He looked like he was still trying to comprehend it. "this is one of the craziest things yet."

"Fitz is still working on the microchip, and should soon have some answers." Jemma said. Suddenly, a knock came at the door.

"Hey guys." Daisy's voice came through the door. Mack made supper and we all wanna know why the lab is off limits." Daisy called through the door.

"Should we tell the others?" May asked, regarding the formerly redacted files and the suspicions that Coulson had about Amelia several days ago. He nodded.

Jemma opened the door, leaving to join her best friend. "You coming?" Phil asked her, and May nodded, closing down the laptop and getting up, limping to the door. Phil grabbed her arm, steadying her.

Making their way to the common room, The group of agents kept their shock and surprise to themselves. Daisy smiled at May, waiting for the older Woman's return smile before walking in. Mack had set the table, and Yo-yo and Fitz were talking.

"Hey May." Yo-yo smiled. "You okay?"

"Just fine." May replied, sitting down next to her Fiancé and nodding to the inhuman. 

"You three seem really tense." Daisy observed.

"Yeah, you do." Yo-yo agreed, Mack joining her. "Whats up with the lab? The other agents have been chattering all day and wondering what happened with Amelia." Mack added.

May looked to Jemma and Coulson to explain. 

"Amelia went nuclear." Fitz spoke up. "She was starting to rival a modern-day Chernobyl accident." 

Daisy's eyes went wide. "Why?"

"Its a long story. Literally." Phil told them as Mack brought food to the table.

"Do tell." Yo-yo told him.

"Amelia is a HYDRA operative, but she doesn't know it." May summarized everything. The unknowing agents stared at her, slack-jawed. "What the..." Mack started.

Jemma jumped in to explain. "Amelia, as well as the clones, all had brain chips that We think might control them."

"Like deathlok?" Daisy asked.

"No, by sending electric pulses to their brain to control memories, thoughts, decisions, and actions." Jemma responded. "They don't even know that there is external influence."

"But they all had two powers, like Amelia?" yo-yo asked. May nodded. 

"And thats not all." Phil told them. "Anyone remember Ippikó, her knife?" Several nodded. "Well, 'Ippikó' translates from Greek into 'Cavalry', and there was a massive dose of TC-3452 hidden in the hilt."

The team stared. "She had that all this time?!?!" Mack frowned.

"And I got the hilt open." Fitz told them. "I just inserted her DNA, and it popped open. I was able to slide the vile out easily." Fitz said. "There was enough in there to cure and to kill everyone in this base... but the strange part was that it was a gas form." 

Everyone was thinking the same thing. Since May, Daisy and Amelia were now immune to the toxin, it would be easy to simply pour it into the air-vents, and boom; you've dealt with everyone else.

"And the microchip is incredibly complex. I might need Daisy's help with hacking it." Fitz added.

"We need to get everyone caught up on everything from Today." Phil said, finishing the last of his food. "May and I have a top level file to show you." He told them. May knew what Phil meant. He was going to tell them about Project A.M.E.L.I.A.

-:x:-

After the team all filed into Phil's office, May took her place as his right-hand (wo)man. May had retrieved her laptop, and Phil was opening the file. Mirroring the screen, he put it up on the wall screen. The team's eyes got wider and wider as they read. "What the actual-" Daisy started.

"Dr. Whitehall?!?" Fitz breathed. "He started Project Interwave?"

"Apparently so." Phil nodded. "Which is why I need you and Daisy to start working on those Microchips immediately."

"But the chip is inside Amelia's brain." Daisy said. "Its not like she has a USB port in the back of her neck."

Brain surgery is not out of the question." Phil told her. "But we have no idea what could happen to her once we shut it off. Her whole personality an consciousness may be dependent on that chip."

"This is crazy." Mack sighed. "Let me guess. Now she is programmed to want to kill us all?" 

The silence was dark but quick. "That... may be her purpose." Phil rubbed his face. "considering how HYDRA has tried to exterminate us in the past from the inside out. Namely, Ward and Garret."

"But this time we caught them?" Daisy lit up. "We can deal with Amelia, and then take down Celyn." 

"Yes, but its not like HYDRA to just hand over their most advanced project." Phil argued. 

"Its probably easier for them to control, and harder for us not to think of her as a living LMD." May said. 

"Right now, Amelia is still strapped to the brain scanner and sedated." Jemma said. "And I want that Microchip out now." 

"But if she'd dependent on the chip..." Fitz argued.

"Is there a way to hack it without removing the chip?" Daisy wondered. "Because then, we could figure out a way to delete whatever surprise HYDRA has for us, and save her at the same time."

The team exchanged glances. Phil looked to Melinda for her opinion. "I think its a good idea." 

"Than we need to go wake her up." Jemma said. "We need to be able to see if there is any psychological change, and we can't do that without her awake."

"Well." Daisy raised her eyebrows. "Lets do something before I'm to tired to think."


	14. Revelations and Rejections

(Melinda's POV)

Heading into the lab, Jemma and Mack went to retrieve what was needed and roll out the brain scanner with Amelia still strapped to it, a radioactive-proof metal blanket draped over her body just in case as they transported everything into the training room, which was adjourned to the lab.

Daisy had her HYDRA issue hacking computer that she had stolen, and was ready. Already having practiced on one of the Clone's micro chips, Daisy felt ready, and everyone could tell.

The young inhuman was still unconscious, and Jemma had already ordered no more sedatives. Amelia was going to wake up soon. Her eyes moved under her eyelids, and May stood beside her fiancé, watching the agents through a window of glass. 

Phil laced his fingers through Melinda's, squeezing them. "One hell of a day, huh?" He said.

May nodded. Looking towards him, May rested her head on his shoulder. "And we still haven't discussed a wedding day." she whispered.

Phil laughed. "How about May 11th?"

"Is that a play on my name?" Melinda smirked.

"Not exactly..." Phil smiled at her. "It was the day we first kissed - for real."

Melinda rolled her eyes. "Thats what you remember? The date?"

"Well, thats not the only memorable thing..." Phil smirked.

May nodded. "thats true." Turning to watch the happenings in the lab, May observed the agents work.

"It seems to have a tracker built in, and I've so far been able to hack in via the signal, which is a higher frequency than I've ever seen." Daisy said.

Melinda and Phil both winced. Wherever Amelia had been, HYDRA probably knew the location. So that meant that HYDRA might even know where this base was... unless the outward signal scrambling worked right, which they hoped it did. 

Daisy was typing on her computer, Jemma was attaching monitor wires to Amelia, and Mack was waiting to follow the Biochemist's orders.

"Hey guys, I'm bypassing the firewall." Daisy reported, calling to Jemma. "You tell me when to hack in, 'cause this looks incredibly advanced, and I'm detecting security measures, so We don't know how long I have before it detects me as an enemy. I hope that this computer will be a seen as a friend."

"Almost done." Jemma injected something into Amelia's IV. The inhuman stirred. "This should lower her brain activity so that you have more room to work, Daisy." Jemma said.

"I should go." May suddenly said.

Phil gave her a look of confusion. "You okay?"

May sighed. "I just, uh, don't want to be here if she goes nuclear again." May gave her excuse. She didn't want another Bahrain.

"If anything happens, Jemma will tell us. And they have the radio-wave blanket on her." Phil reminded her. May pursed her lips, furrowing her brows with concentration.

"Alright. She's conscious." Jemma reported. "I'll be here, monitoring her brain." Jemma leaned over to talk to Amelia, the girl's eyes still closed. "We're gonna be fixing a problem in your brain, sweetie. Just stay calm and tell us if something seems off."

There was no reaction from the girl, and Melinda watched Daisy's progress on the computer screen. "Alright, I just bypassed the firewall. I'm downloading all the information now." Daisy said, typing away on her computer to keep them undetected.

"Brain chip isn't reacting." Jemma told them.

"Alright, I found the mother-chip coding." Daisy said. "I should have it shut off in not time."

"Good." Jemma nodded.

Melinda caught the red flashing the same time Daisy did. "Wait! Wait! Wait!" she frantically squealed. "It sees me as an intruder!" 

"What?" Mack squawked.

"The chip is going to initiate some kind of 'lethal lockdown' if I don't fix it!" Daisy was panicking, and the base trembled as Daisy's anxiety skyrocketed.

"Than fix it!" Mack said.

"I'm trying!" Daisy said.

A commotion drew Melinda's sight toward Jemma. Amelia was struggling under her restraints, Simmons trying desperately to calm her down.

Suddenly Amelia's eyes popped open, her green irises large under her small pupils. Amelia's face showed no pain as she stared forward. She tried to sit up. Unblinking as she frowned, the inhuman melted through her restraints, pulling herself upward. "You need to stay there, 'Lea!" Daisy said.

"You'll ruin your monitors!" Jemma said.

Amelia stood anyway. turning towards Jemma, she punched the scientist in the face. Jemma stumbled backwards, hands to her cheek. Amelia ripped off the wires and yanked out the IV.

"Cavalry." She said with no context. "Bring me the cavalry."

Phil gripped May's arm, both agents horrified. May glared trough the glass.

Amelia ran around back to Jemma, ripping the railing off the brain scanner, she prepared to fight. Mack ran towards her, grabbing the teen by her waist, dragging her backward and away from Jemma and knocking the metal bar from her hand.

Amelia folded herself upwards, wrapping her thighs around Mack's neck and squeezing. The girl leaned forward, pulling down. Raising her bionic hand over Mack's neck, she was obviously preparing to cut off the mechanic's head with her energy Shield. 

May watched Daisy raise her hand and Quake Amelia's hand, and the shield was knocked out of place, leaving a small nick. Phil held onto May's arm. "They can handle this!" He warned her.

"You sure?" May frowned, seeing Amelia smash her elbow into Mack's shoulder blade, and jumping off, doing a flip in midair as she landed on her feet. Running towards Mack, the Academy girl kicked The small of his back, twisting instantly to get him again in the crotch.

Mack doubled over, and Amelia retrieved her weapon, heading to Daisy, who was frantically typing. "I can't get it to stop!" Daisy said.

"Bring me the cavalry!" Amelia roared.

May needed to stop her. "Don't go, Mel." Phil seemed to panic, and talked into a comm. "Back-up assault squad to the training room stat! Back-up assault squad to the training room stat!" Sounded over the loudspeaker.

Amelia stalked up towards Daisy, who set away her computer to defend herself. Both inhumans stared each other down for half a second before Amelia sprinted across the mat and jumping up to swing a kick at Daisy, who dodged. The metal rod was spun at the agent's face, leaving a cut on Daisy's forehead.

Agents came running down the hall at Coulson's command, ready to engage a threat.

Daisy and Amelia swung hits at each other faster than some could keep track of. May could only hope that she'd trained Daisy well enough. Daisy managed to land a grip on Amelia's right hand.

" 'LEA! STOP! YOUR'E HURTING PEOPLE!" Daisy tried to talk her down. 

"Bring me the cavalry." Amelia growled.

Daisy raised her hand, and Quaked Amelia against the wall. "I cant do this for long!" Daisy told everyone.

"Don't kill her!" Jemma screeched.

"She's a goner, Jemma!" Daisy said.

"She's a kid!" Simmons argued, wiping blood from her eyebrow.

"A kid who tried to kill you!" Daisy responded. 

"But-"

"Believe me, Jemma, I don't want to-" 

"Stop!" May dragged herself from Phil's hold, and walked in. Daisy was still quaking Amelia. "This can't be your Bahrain." She told Daisy. "Let me deal with her."

Daisy's mouth dropped open.

"You hack, I kill." May took a big breath, waiting until Daisy dropped Amelia from the wall, the earthquakes subsiding.

The back-up agents filed in, guns pointed at Amelia, who landed on one knee. Flipping her hair up, Amelia stood up, and cracked her neck. "Ah, finally... the cavalry." She purred.

The teen's white SHIELD Operations Academy shirt was spattered with blood, her green eyes narrowing threateningly at Melinda.

\-------------------------------------

 

(Coulson's POV)

"Stop, Mel!" Phil yelled. He turned to the lead assault agent. "Lethal shots if necessary," Phil told them.

"But sir... she's a child." The leader reminded him.

"I know." Phil said, wincing at the hard choice. "But I can't have a repeat of Bahrain on Agent May's mind."

"Yes sir." The leader said, waving in his squad.

Phil tried to get closer, but the agents kept him back from the action.

"I want to kill you." Amelia sneered at May, and Phil's heart hammered in his chest.

"You aren't the first." May sighed, keeping her cool. "Nor will you be the last."

Amelia walked forward, lifting the metal pole in her hand. "I feel like Killing you. . . then Daisy. . . then those science brats. . . then everyone else - except you, Phillip J. Coulson." Amelia looked up at him. "I want to see you collapse . . . surrounded by the rubble your pathetic organization."

"Fire!" The Squad leader shouted, and guns were pointed and fired. Bullets smashed into the wall, shattering the bricks as dust rained down. Once it cleared, They were all horrified to see Amelia still standing. "That was annoying." She spat, and reached to her arm, peeling off a pancake of metal.

Oh God. 

That was a bullet.

She had used her power to avoid any puncture.

More sheets of metal flaked off her, the teen HYDRA assassin stalking towards May. "Nice try, though." she said, shrugging.

\---------------------------------------------------

 

(Melinda's POV)

May stared at the girl. Melinda knew that she could kill her. Melinda had done it once before, she could do it again. . . no matter how much it hurt to do so.

Especially now that she was going to be happily married to Phil, and she wasn't going to let anything get in the way of that dream.

No. She couldn't fear losing that. Scanning Amelia, May noticed the bullet holes in her bionic hand, wires sputtering as the hand twitched and spasmed.

That was good. No more energy shield.

May stood in place. If she could pin Amelia by her bionic hand, the specialist wouldn't have to fear the teen's powers of atomic manipulation.

Melinda couldn't touch Amelia if she wanted to stay radiation-free and un-marred by the molding power.

Amelia smirked as she threw away the rod. "I don't need this to kill you. . ." she sneered. "Or the baby."

The entire room froze.

"What?" May choked. The baby?

"Forgot about my other power, didn't you?" Amelia snickered. "You forgot that I can sense living essence - for example, the mix between yours and Mr. Coulson's. . . which is right there." Amelia pointed to May's stomach.

"You forgot that you can run, but you can't hide. You forgot that I-" Amelia went full on with the bad guy speech.

"And you forgot that you were supposed to be killing me." May reminded her.

\---------------------------------------------------

 

(Coulson's POV)

The baby.

The baby. 

Mel was pregnant.

The words rang through coulson's head as he watched with horror as May and Amelia spoke. 

"Fun times!" Amelia shouted, and ran at May and jumped.

Melinda waited for the right moment to hook her arm around Amelia's leg and jerk before running off the wall and leaping off, the specialist doing a backflip as she grabbed Amelia's ponytail and dragged her head to the floor, smashing it into the mat.

Daisy was working on her computer. "I think I have an idea."

"Give it a shot!" Phil was to worried to care about what the idea was.

Amelia spun around, kicking backwards and opening her palm. "Just enough to kill the baby, but not you." she chided.

"You would't dare." May hissed, swinging a punch at her. 

\-------------------------------------------------

(Melinda's POV)

Amelia had never fought like this before. May had sparred with the girl before, and Amelia had never been this barbaric. The brain chip was causing this. 

The teen ducked down, sliding on the training room mat as she tried to get behind May.

Melinda got a kick to the girl's shoulder. Amelia backed up against the wall. That was her mistake.

May scooped up a fallen brick, and prepared to attack her right side, but twisted at the last second, grabbing the metal pole and swinging backward with all her might.

Amelia tried to dodge, but May drove the rod strait through her bionic hand, skewering the palm and the pole sank into the weakened brick wall. This was enough time for May to jump back. Amelia struggled to detach her hand, and suddenly Daisy yelled something with joy.

At that second, there was a gunshot.

Amelia went limp, hanging from arm against the wall.

Everyone turned to see Jemma, blood still oozing from the cut on her eyebrow, ICER raised.

"I figured something out." Daisy said. "I- oh."

Melinda stepped back, surveying the mess.

Blood dripped from several gashes on Amelia's face, and May could see that she probably had several broken ribs.

Sinking to her knees, May let the adrenaline rush dissipate. Arms wrapped around her. Phil's arms.

"You saved her, Mel." Phil said over and over in her ear.

"No, I hurt-" May shook.

"Listen, Lin. You held off a double powered inhuman for five full minutes while Daisy restored her brain." Phil said. "You saved her."

"I saved her."


	15. Where Paths Lead...

(Melinda's POV)

"She said. . . She said that there was a baby." Melinda shook as Phil helped her up and ushered her away from the crowd. The other agents moved in to detain and control the unconscious violent teenager, who still hung from the wall where May had pinned her.

Shutting the door behind them, Phil helped May into the bathroom, letting her shower and change.

Melinda was stiff as she moved to join him, still quivering from the fight. May had never been this weak. "Amelia. . . she said that there was a baby." May repeated over and over.

"It'll be okay." Phil answered, pulling her closer.

"I can't be pregnant!" May said.

"But if you are, I'm so happy." Phil told her.

"What if. . . what if Amelia's radiation kills it? What if HYDRA just killed our baby?" Melinda's eyes were frantic.

"First off, we need to find out if Amelia was telling the truth, but we'll worry about that tomorrow." Phil said. "It won't be the first time HYDRA has pleaded our emotions."

"Alright." May nodded, relaxing as Phil turned off the lamp.

 

\----------------------------------------

 

(Coulson's POV)

(Next Day)

The first resignation request form was dropped on his desk the next day. "I'm sorry, sir." The woman said. "I can't work at an organization that tried to kill a kid."

Phil's face went slack. "Amelia's not the first kid. . ." Stupid word choice.

"Which is my problem." The female agent said. "I'm a mother, and shooting at a child last night was not something I want to do." She said. "I sent in my form to the CIA this morning. I've made my choice."

"I'm sorry, agent..."

"Hutchinings." The woman finished.

"I'm sorry, Agent Hutchinings." Phil nodded. "But Amelia was trying to kill us."

"From what I've been told, she was mind controlled. Her actions weren't her fault, but sir, if I may be so bold," The woman pressed her lips into a firm line, squaring her shoulders, "But you were willing to kill a mind controlled child just to save an agent who could take care of herself." And with that, Agent Hutchinings turned and walked out, her SHIELD I.D. card left by the door.

 

\--------------------------------

 

(Melinda's POV)

Slowly turning over the stick, Melinda held her breath. The three longest moments of her life were now over, and the pregnancy test waited to be viewed. 

Forcing her eyes open, Melinda looked down upon...

A single red line.

Her heart broke and healed at the same time. A part of her had wanted Amelia's words to be real, but Melinda feared miscarriage even more. Some of her conscious was relieved though, and she was glad that she wasn't adding any more dangerous equations to their fight against HYDRA.

Tossing the stick into the trash without a thought, Melinda straitened herself at the mirror, and headed out into the hall. Stopping at Phil's office, she peeked in.

"Hello, Honey." He said without looking up. "You alright? How.. are you... will we..."

"No. It was negative." May nodded, coming over. "I'm not pregnant." Phil's face flashed a series of emotions, finally resting for a second on disappointment. the couple stared at each other, sharing the way they both felt with a single glance.

"Okay." Phil bobbed his head. "At least we don't have to worry about Amelia claiming that while she's at the Fridge." He tried to make her smile.

"The fridge?" May asked. 

"The agents don't think that she should die." Phil told her. "As do I."

"But..." May prompted, not arguing, waiting for him to continue.

"I've just lost five agents because they said that SHIELD agents should never have shot at a kid."

"And I agree." May said. "But the kids that SHIELD stop are kids who are going to kill no matter what we do to help them."

"Sometimes its hard choosing the lesser of two evils." Phil sighed.

"Believe me, I know." May cupped his cheek, and pressed a kiss to his lips.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Daisy knocked softly on the door, sending them a small smile as she slipped inside.

"Hey, Daisy." May nodded.

"Hi." Daisy greeted her. "How are you?"

"Not Pregnant and not injured to bad." May said. "I'll be checking in with Jemma later to make sure that I didn't suffer to much radiation poisoning."

Daisy tipped her head in understanding, and crossed the room over to the two agents. "I uh, wasn't able to tell you what I did last night." The girl started.

"What?" Phil waited.

"I was able to give her a choice." Daisy sighed. "I couldn't completely erase 'Lethal Lockdown', but there was a trigger implanted in her chip that would make her HYDRA, like last night." Daisy paused, "but I still think that she needs to be detained."

"I know." May answered, reaching out to touch the girl's shoulder. "Last night was quite a surprise."

"But don't you see? I failed. Had I crossed over the third firewall, I would have been able to access the chip's mainframe instead of the decoy tripwire codes." Daisy told them. "Last night was my fault. . . and yet, I still feel as though Amelia should be locked up. Is that terrible?"

"Thats for you to decide, Daisy." May put a hand on her shoulder. "Amelia's attack was bound to happen. We just tripped it before it was to late."

"But. . . Who would want to be locked up for the rest of their lives?" Daisy sighed.

The three agents thought for a second. "Celyn and Sharpwood are the only people who have the entry codes and full control, correct?" Phil asked. The two women nodded. "But Sharpwood is dead, so we need to get Celyn. something tells me that the airport is more than we think it was." Phil put his head in his hands.

"So. . . you're saying that we need to find Celyn and drag the code out of her?" Melinda summarized.

"Exactly. . . We can't have the entirety of SHIELD thinking that I - we - are willing to killing kids." Phil said. "We need to choose carefully in the next several days, or who knows what paths they may take us down."


End file.
